PHILIPPINE POPULAR CULTURE

CATEGORIES OF CULTURE IN THE PHILIPPINE SOCIETY

The different categories of culture in the Philippine society are the following:
1. Based on Nationality
 Filipino Culture
2. Based on Ethno linguistic Group
 Culture of the Tagalog, Ilonggo, Ilokano, Kapampangan, Waray, Bisaya, Manobo,
Maranao etc.
3. Based on Historical Epoch of Philippine Culture
 Culture before the coming of the Spaniards
 Spanish period culture
 American period Culture
 War period: Japanese Occupation
 New Republic Culture
 Pre-Martial law period culture
 Martial law period culture
 Post martial law period culture
4. Based on Economic Means
 Agricultural culture
 Fishing culture
 Business/commercial culture
5. Based on Geographical Location
 Lowland culture
 Upland culture
 Rural culture
 Urban culture
6. Based on Religion
 Christian culture
 Roman Catholic Culture
 Protestant Culture
 Muslim Culture
 Iglesia ni Cristo Culture
 Jehovah’s witnesses culture
 Other religious sectors/culture
 Pagan culture
7. Based on Technology
 Advanced/modern culture
 Primitive/traditional culture
8. Based on Age
 Teenage culture
 Culture of the retired and the aged
9. Based on Economic status
 Elitist culture
  Mass culture
10. Based on Response to Colonialism
 Mainstream culture
 Indigenous culture

OTHER SYMBOLIC USES OF CULTURE

1. Culture of poverty. It refers to the learned ways of life of the poor, a vicious cycle of deprivation and want
transmitted from one generation to another.
2. Culture of opulence. It refers to the ways and life of the rich and the famous in their world of glitz and
glamour.
3. Culture of corruption. It refers to the established patterns of illegally amassing wealth and obtaining
power or concessions in the government or private office.
4. Culture of silence or culture of sabotage. It refers to the individual or group attitude to keep silent as
resigned response to authority
5. Pop culture. It refers to the popular ways, practices and interests of contemporary society. Example: pop
music or dance craze
6. Culture of apathy. It refers to the prevalent inaction, indifference, lack of emotion and interest of the people
in regard to the issues and concerns which need attention and resolution.
7. Culture of conspicuous consumption. It refers to the ways and practices of the super-rich in buying goods
and obtaining services in excess of what they can actually consume and use.
8. Culture of exploitation and dehumanization. It refers to the socially entrenched patterns of abusive and
exploitative practices by the moneyed and power-wielding members of the society against the culturally
deprived and materially disadvantaged group of the society.

SOCIOLOGICAL MEANING OF ETHNIC GROUPS AND RACISM

Race refers to a population that through generations of inbreeding has
developed more or less distinctive physical characteristics that are transmitted genetically. It refers to
group of people who perceive themselves and are perceived by others as possessing certain distinctive
and hereditary physical traits. Sociologically, race refers to a group of people whom others believe are
genetically distinct and whom they treat accordingly.
Race is commonly used to refer to physical differences between people brought about by physical
characteristics of genetic origin. This commonness of genetic heritage may be manifested in the shape of
the head and face, the shape and color of the eyes, the shape of the nose, lips and ears, the texture and
color of the hair, the skin color, height, blood type, and other physical characteristics.

Ethnic group represents a number of persons who have a common cultural background as evidenced
by a feeling of loyalty to a given geographical territory or leader, a feeling of identification with and unity
among historical and other group experiences, or a high degree of similarity in social norms, ideas, and
material objects.
An ethnic group refers to a group of people sharing an identity which arises from a collective sense of a
distinctive history. Ethnic group possess their own culture, customs, norms, belief, and traditions. There is
usually a common language, and boundary maintenance is observed between members and non-members,
as well as by birth; ethnic group membership may be acquired through marriage in other socially
sanctioned rites.
 PATTERN OF ETHNIC RELATIONS
1. Pattern of Racism,
a. Racism refers to the belief that some human races are inherently inferior.
b. Prejudice is an emotional prejudgment or attitude towards a person or group of
people. It refers to a categorical like or dislike of a group of people based on real or
imagined social characteristics, usually associated with their race, religion, ethnic
group, sexual orientation, or perhaps occupation.
c. Discrimination refers to the act of disqualifying or mistreating people on the basis of
their group membership or on ascriptive groups rationally irrelevant to the situation.
Whereas prejudice is a state of mind, discrimination is actual behavior. Prejudice and
discrimination work hand in hand to create and sustain and ethnical
stratification.
Theories of prejudice
Economic Theory - assumes that racial prejudice is a social attitude transmitted by the
dominant ethnic majority class for the purpose of stigmatizing some groups as inferior so that
exploitation of the group resources will be justified.
Symbolic theory -asserts that prejudice arises because of racial or ethnic group is a symbol
of what people hate, fear, or envy.
Scapegoat theory -maintains that human beings are reluctant to accept their mistakes for their
troubles and failures so they look for an ethnic-minority to shoulder the blame.
Social norm theory -asserts that ethnocentrism is a natural development of group living. Hatred
and suspicion for the out-group are the standard and normal way of doing things, particularly in
dealing with people.
d. Stereotypes are often simplified and unsupported generalizations about others and
are used indiscriminately for all cases. A few examples are Ilokano, ―Kuripot‖ (stingy).
Bicolanos, ―Sili‖ (pepper or spicy people)

2. Patterns of competition, Conflict and Domination

As pointed out in the process of ethnocentrism, people tend to view their own way of life, including
their behavior, beliefs, values, and norms, as they judge others by these standards. When people
are strongly ethnocentric, they are distrustful of outsiders, seeing them as a symbol of strangeness,
evil and danger.
When ethnocentric attitudes are coupled with inter intergroup competition for territory and scare
resources.
3. Economic and Political Subjugation
The economic takeover of one nation by a more powerful one and the subsequent political and
social domination of the native population is called colonialism. If the takeover of one nation is
through the military superiority of the more powerful one for the purpose of territorial expansion
and establishing colonies, it is termed as military colonialism.
On the other hand, if the economic takeover is made through the great technological superiority of
the more powerful one, the institutionalization of their business in their former colonies, the
control and domination of most of a colony’s natural resources, the imposition of trade policies
and economic treaties favorable to their side; the establishment of outlets for their surplus capital;
the need for more cheap labor, raw materials, and make to fuel their growing economy, the
process is termed Neo-colonialism or economic imperialism.
Economic colonialism
 4. Displacement and segregation of the Native Population
Economic and political subjugation of a minority population by a more powerful group is not the
only pattern of conquest that occurs when different racial and ethnic group meet.
When a weaker group occupies a territory that a stronger group wants to inhabit, the stronger is
likely to displace the weaker. Displacement of native population can be made possible through
the influx of powerful settlers or invaders with their vastly superior weapons. Displacement
takes the following form:
a. By attrition, that is, a number of the weaker group may die of starvation or disease either
deliberately of not.
b. By population transfer; and
c. By genocide-deliberate and ruthless extermination of weaker group. Examples: by
destroying the principal means of survival; by introduction of disease for which the native
lacked natural immunities; programs of mass extermination, and displacement of tribal
groups from their ancestral lands, to give way for ―developmental‖ projects.
Segregation involves the enactment of laws and/or customs that restrict or prohibit contact
between groups. Segregation may be ethnic or racial or based on sex or age.
Example,
5. Patterns of accommodation and tolerance
Interracial and interethnic accommodation can be carried through out miscegenation or
amalgamation. – the intermarriage of members of the majority and minority groups. This can
result in the blending of their various customs and values and the creation of a new cultural
hybrid. This involves a customs and values and the creation of new cultural hybrid. This involves a
cultural and biological blending in which the customs and values of both groups are to some extent
preserved and their biological characteristics appear in the offspring. This is the melting pot
concept popularized by the writer Israel Zangwill. Blending is more likely to occur when
ethnocentrism is not strong and when power among various racial and ethnic groups is relatively
equal and when relations among them are more cooperative or competitive.
6. Patterns of Acculturation and Assimilation
In Acculturation the different ethnic groups selectively borrow elements from each other’s
cultures while retaining basic aspects of the culture of their former respective societies.
In assimilation, the different ethnic groups evolve a common culture and simultaneously level
out their sub-cultural differences.
7. Patterns of cultural pluralism or ethnic Diversity
Cultural pluralism refers to the coexistence of different racial or ethnic groups each of which
retains its own cultural identity and social structural networks, while participating equally in the
economic and political systems,

ETHNIC GROUPS IN THE PHILIPPINES

A. According to distinctive physical traits
1. The Negritos who are regarded as the aborigines of the Philippines
2. The Indonesian- Malayan stock which is predominant among the Filipinos.
3. The Chinese who make up the largest national group
4. The Americans and the Spaniards, and a few other Europeans who came as
colonizers.
B. According to cultural standpoints
1. Cultural minorities or Indigenous cultural communities
2. Muslims
3. Christian groups

C. According to linguistic groupings

 PANAMIN reports that there are about 87 ethno linguistic groups in the Philippines- e.g.,
Tagalog, Ilokano, Waray, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, Ilonggo etc.

D. According to religion
 1. Roman Catholic
2. Muslims
3. Aglipayans
4. Protestants
5. Inglesia ni Kristo
6. Buddhist
7. Jehovah’s Witnesses
8. Other religious sect

E. Muslim of Southern Philippines

The muslims make up the largest single non-Christian group. They have nine ethno-linguistic groups,
namely:
1. Tausug
2. Maranao
3. Maguindano
4. Samal
5. Yakan
6. Sanngil
7. Badjao
8. Molbog
9. Jama Mapun

ETHNIC GROUPS IN THE PHILIPPINES

F. According to distinctive physical traits
1. The Negritos who are regarded as the aborigines of the Philippines
2. The Indonesian- Malayan stock which is predominant among the Filipinos.
3. The Chinese who make up the largest national group
4. The Americans and the Spaniards, and a few other Europeans who came as
colonizers.
G. According to cultural standpoints
1. Cultural minorities or Indigenous cultural communities
2. Muslims
3. Christian groups

H. According to linguistic groupings

 PANAMIN reports that there are about 87 ethno linguistic groups in the Philippines- e.g.,
Tagalog, Ilokano, Waray, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, Ilonggo etc.
I. According to religion
1. Roman Catholic
2. Muslims
3. Aglipayans
4. Protestants
5. Inglesia ni Kristo
6. Buddhist
7. Jehovah’s Witnesses
8. Other religious sect

J. Muslim of Southern Philippines

The muslims make up the largest single non-Christian group. They have nine ethno-linguistic groups,
namely:
10. Tausug
11. Maranao
12. Maguindano
13. Samal
14. Yakan
15. Sanngil
 16. Badjao
17. Molbog
18. Jama Mapun

ETHNIC GROUPS IN THE PHILIPPINES

K. According to distinctive physical traits
1. The Negritos who are regarded as the aborigines of the Philippines
2. The Indonesian- Malayan stock which is predominant among the Filipinos.
3. The Chinese who make up the largest national group
4. The Americans and the Spaniards, and a few other Europeans who came as
colonizers.
L. According to cultural standpoints
1. Cultural minorities or Indigenous cultural communities
2. Muslims
3. Christian groups

M. According to linguistic groupings

 PANAMIN reports that there are about 87 ethno linguistic groups in the Philippines- e.g.,
Tagalog, Ilokano, Waray, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, Ilonggo etc.
N. According to religion
1. Roman Catholic
2. Muslims
3. Aglipayans
4. Protestants
5. Inglesia ni Kristo
6. Buddhist
7. Jehovah’s Witnesses
8. Other religious sect

O. Muslim of Southern Philippines

The muslims make up the largest single non-Christian group. They have nine ethno-linguistic groups,
namely:
19. Tausug
20. Maranao
21. Maguindano
22. Samal
23. Yakan
24. Sanngil
25. Badjao
26. Molbog
27. Jama Mapun

INDIGENOUS CULTURAL COMMUNITIES / INDIGENOUS PEOPLES (ICCS/IPS)

 Homogenous societies continuously lived as organized community bounded and
defined territory
 Occupied, possessed and utilized such territories since time immemorial under claims of
ownership
 Sharing common bonds of language, customs, traditions, and other distinct cultural traits
or who have become
 historically differentiated from the majority of the Filipinos
There are at least 110 ethno linguistic groups comprising the ICCs/IPs with a population of
about 14 million based on extrapolation of Philippine population growth.
 4. Indigenous culture
-Originated in a particular region or environment
-Indigenous Knowledge and Practices
MEASURES AND EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE OR REDUCE PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION
1. Contact and acquaintance
2. Conduct sociological inquiry
3. State-funded public educational institutions
4. Affirmative action programs
5. Increase
 1. POP CULTURE: -Is the culture -
Which are popular -Well-liked -
Common
-This often defined or determined by the mass media -Also defined
―leftover‖
 Popular culture is the accumulation of cultural products such as music, art, literature, fashion,
dance, film, cyber culture, television and radio that are consumed by the majority of a society's
population. Popular culture has mass accessibility and appeal. The term "popular culture" was
coined in the 19th century or earlier. Traditionally, it was associated with lower classes and poor
education as opposed to the "official culture" of the upper class.
 John Storey and Popular Culture
 There are two opposing sociological arguments in relation to popular culture. One argument is that
popular culture is used by the elites (who tend to control the mass media and popular culture
outlets) to control those below them because it dulls people’s minds, making them passive and easy
to control. A second argument is just the opposite, that popular culture is a vehicle for rebellion
against the culture of dominant groups.
 In his book, Cultural Theory and Popular Culture, John Storey offers six different definitions of
popular culture. In one definition, Storey describes mass or popular culture as "a hopelessly
commercial culture [that is] mass-produced for mass consumption [by] a mass of non-
discriminating consumers.‖ He further states that popular culture is ―formulaic [and]
manipulative,‖ not unlike how he views the process of advertising. A product or brand has to be
―sold‖ to an audience before it can be entrenched in mass or popular culture; by bombarding
society with it, it then finds its place in popular culture.
 Britney Spears is a good example of this definition; her road to stardom and place in popular culture
were based on marketing strategies to build look along with her fan base. As a result, she generated
millions of fans, her songs were played frequently on numerous radio stations, and she went on to
sell out concerts and garner the public's fascination with her meltdown. Like the creation of Britney
Spears, pop culture almost always depends on mass production for mass consumption because we
rely on mass media to get our information and shape our interests.
1. Pop Culture vs. High Culture
 Pop culture is the culture of the people and it is accessible to the masses.
High culture, on the other hand, isn't meant for mass consumption nor is it readily available to everyone. It
belongs to the social elite. The fine arts, theater, opera, intellectual pursuits. These are associated with the
upper socioeconomic strata and require more a high brow approach, training or reflection to be
appreciated. Elements from this realm rarely cross over into pop culture. As such, high culture is considered
sophisticated while popular culture is often looked down upon as being superficial.
2. Popular culture and mass culture Mass Culture:
-Seen as commercial culture
-Mass produced for mass consumption -Industrial
revolution

 Mass culture is the set of ideas and values that develop from a common exposure to the same media,
news sources, music, and art. Mass culture is broadcast or otherwise distributed to individuals instead
of arising from their day-to-day interactions with each other. Thus, mass culture generally lacks the
unique content of local communities and regional cultures. Frequently, it promotes the role of
individuals as consumers. With the rise of publishing and broadcasting in the 19th and 20th centuries,
the scope of mass culture expanded dramatically. It replaced folklore, which was the cultural
mainstream of traditional local societies. With the growth of the Internet since the 1990s, many
distinctions between mass media and folklore have become blurred.

Mass culture vs Popular culture

 Mass culture refers to how culture gets produced, whereas popular culture refers to how culture gets
consumed. Mass culture is culture which is mass produced, distributed, and marketed.
  Mass Culture is a set of cultural values and ideas that arise from common exposure of a population to
the same cultural activities, communications media, music and art, etc. Mass culture tends to
reproduce the liberal value of individualism and to foster a view of the citizen as consumer

 Popular culture (the preferred term in cultural studies and where the focus is on uses rather than
production), although some theorists distinguish it from traditional folk culture because it is oriented
toward profit and is organized according to the laws governing commodity exchange.
 Cultural products that are both mass-produced and for mass audiences. Examples include mass-media
entertainments—films, television programmes, popular books, newspapers, magazines, popular music,
leisure goods, household items, clothing, and mechanically-reproduced art.

3. History of Popular Culture (Popular Culture from 1900 to 21st Century)

-(Highlight the evolution and changes)
-1900, 1920, 1945, 1960’s, 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000
-Traditionalist (1900); Baby Boomers (1946-1960); Gen X (1960-1980); Millennials (1980-
2000)

I. FINAL TOPICS FILIPINO

CULTURE
A. Genres of Philippine pop culture
 Social Beliefs And Customs
 Religion, Festivals, And Holidays
 Music: P-Pop, OPM & Dance
 Literature And Arts
 Cuisine
 Clothing/Fashion
 Sports
 Television
 Virtual Culture
B. Pop culture of the millennials
C. Issues of Popular Culture in the Philippines:
-Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Cultural Imperialism, Censorship, Cyber Issues D. Pop Culture and
the Rise of Social Media in the Philippines: (http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/ronda2014/Culture-
Philippines.pdf)

-Restoring cultural confidence and pride

 The act of using deliberate and well-designed methodologies to maintain cultural
heritage from the past for the benefit of the present and future generations.
 Ex. NCCA, NCIP, NHC

-Encouraging the emergence of cultural and artistic talent by offering opportunities for an expression in
an open environment.
 DOT